Bearing for electric meters.



W. H; PRATT.- BEARING FOR ELECTRIC METERS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 25, 1910.

1,022,503. Patented Apr. 9, 1912.

. MINE-5 455." XIII/51322103..

I I YLL'IAM'HPHA Z l ATTUHN K p v rrEn STATES ;Ar. orro WILLIAM H.PRATT, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC i COMPANY,A'COBPORATION OF NEW YORK. i

- BEAnInG'roR ELECTRIC ETERS.

v To all whom it concern.

tric m eter's and has .for its object an. improved formof constructionfor the same.

Electric meters, and more especially integrating meters,-which may havea rotatmg armature are usually provided with a lower'thrust bearingfuponwhich the armature rests. This bearing is sometimes a ball bearing, thatis, the lower part of the meter shaft'bears against a small sphere or.ball. .It is often necessary to. remove, the

bearing for the purposes of inspection or replacement and the object ofmy invention is to provide a bearing which shall be readily removablefrom the meter and also insure that the ball shall not be lost duringthe process.

.The further novelties of my invention are pointed out with moreparticularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of thisspecificationQ For a further understanding of my invention reference maybe had to the accompanymg' drawings where Figure 1 shows on alarge scaleand partially in section a vertical view of my bear-' ing' attached tothe casing of an electric meter, only a portion of the casing and themechanism of the meter being shown; Fig. 2 is a vertical view partly insection of a portion of the meter shaft and a portion of my .bearing forone position of the shaft; Fig. 3 is a view similar to that of Fig. 2but for a different position of the shaft; and Figs. 4: and 5 arecross-sections of the lower bearing pin attached to'the shaft.

Referring first to Fig. 1, the lower portion of the casing of the meteris shown at 1 and threaded into this in the usual manner is the bearingpost 2, which may be locked in position to the meter casing by the locknut 2. Inside this post is the hollow member 3 which is threaded for aportion of itS'QXtQI'lOI and engages With a cylinder 4 sliding insidethe post 2 and having a flange at its upper end. This cylinder restsagainst'a spring 5 andis keptfrom turn ing by vthepin 3 which engageswith .a -jyer I v Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 9, 1912 Application;fi1ed J'anuary25, 1910.; Serial No.539,916. y

ticalgroove formed in cylinders in the well known manner. Cylinder fserves as afshipping device for lifting the armature from its lowerbearing by turning screw 3 'and releasing spring 5 in the well knownmanner. lVithin'the hollow fixed screw 3 s a lower bearingplug (S whichhas the Jewel 7 .set in its upper end. This plug is sprlng supported byspring 8. vScrewed to the lower end of meter shaft 9 is the upperbearing 'pin 10 which has inserted .in it jewel 11. Between these twojewels is the ball or sphere 12 which serves to form a ball bearing inthe well known manner. The top of member 3 is turned down slightly andover this is slipped a cap 13 which is held by friction to member. 3 andserves to inclose the ball with its bearing surfaces and to prevent theloss of the ball when the bearing pin is removed from the meter shaft.

Referring to Figs; 2, 4 and 5, the bearing pin is formed with cars 14-.The upper end of the member 13 has formed in it indentations 15 betweenthe lugs 16 that are adapted to engage with the ears 14 of the bearingpin'when the meter shaft is pushed down. These ears and indentations maybest be seen by referring to Figs. i and 5 which are sectional viewstaken along the line 14 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a section of the bearingpin above this line and Fig. 5 a section below the same.

Fig. 3 shows the relation of the bearing pin, with'its ears, to thefixed member 3 when the shaft isin its lowered position. It will be seenthat-when the meter shaft is presseddownward it will compress spring 8and with a slight movement of the shaft/the ears on the bearing pin maybe made to engage the indentations 15. The bearing pin and jewelbearings be readily removed, ex

amined and replaced without losing the ball. 7 i

While I havedeseribed a preferred our bodimentof my invention, I do notlimit myself to this embodiment but seek-in the appended claims to coverall such embodiments as w ll be obviousto those skflied in .the art andwill not depart from the spirit of my invention.

That I clalmas new-and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is' 1. A hearing for-an electric meter shaft,- comprisingtheshaft, an upper bearing'pin attached thereto and hevingearg-{efixed;hollow member having indentations adapted to engage said ears and alower bearing plug yieldingly supported in' said.fixed,'meniberfl- 2. Abee-ring forenelectric meter shaft,

comprising the shaft, an-upper bearing plinattached thereto and havingears,"s fixed hollow member having indentations adapted.

to engage saidears, aloiverbearing-plug yieldingly supported 1n saldmember a cap surrounding the bearing surfaces.

3. A bearing for an electric'meterf'shaft,

comprising the shaft, an upper bearing-pin screwed into the lower end ofsaid shaftand having ears, e fixed hollow member hzivingindentationsadzipted to engage-said ears' and said member.- v y e. A bearing for -anelectric meter shaft,v comprising the shaft, an upper beer'ingi pinscrewed intoithe lower end-"offlseid shaft; and haying ears-, za fixedhollow niember. he ving dentations adap ed to engage saidjears, 1alowerhearing'plug spring 'suppor'ted in'. said} a ball between thepinand the plug member, forminf flg a gball bearing"theretvithgsi-hd"av-cap inclo i g'the'balhf 2 '5. Ajbearin'gior'an eleotriemeterShit-ft,

coiilpri'singthe shaft, an uppe'r bearingi pin plug in said member, a-bal'l between the pin.

and plug forming. a ball bearing therewith, and-a cap removably attachedtog-the upper end of the fixed member 'inc'losi'ng the bell and itsbearing surfaces. I

In Witness whereof, Iliave hereunto setmy hand this tWenty-fi'rst'day ofJanuary 1910. alower bearing plug spring-supported in I NILLIA1\I H.-PRATT;

Witnessesi I i J orm A, MoMANUs, J11,

CHARL S A. BARNABD.

